


He Who Fights Monsters

by lokiperfect



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Evil Kylo Ren, Force-Sensitive Hux, Light Side AU, M/M, he's still an asshole tho, hux defecting first order, kylo ren eventual redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 22:45:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9145468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokiperfect/pseuds/lokiperfect
Summary: Meeting his greatest nightmare of growing up wasn't on Armitage's to do list today. But having spent many years with the Resistance he was the most capable, if somewhat underhanded, interrogator, with some tricks up his sleeve. That still didn't prepare him enough to get into the same room as the feared Kylo Ren, the jedi scourge of the First Order.





	

**Author's Note:**

> not beta-ed. i do like this one a lot. and i want to continue writing it. then again i want to write all my WIP's lol

And this morning seemed so promising when he had woken up. Armitage was thinking on filling his day with a some reading done, looking in on the prisoners, maybe taunting some if they proved rowdy enough (and they always were), visiting the command center, looking for some info, posting something rude on the holonet.

He did not anticipate running into General Organa at the command center and putting him to work though. And what work – as the dubiously reformed First Order lieutenant with skills in combat, long range shooting and up close and personal interrogation – the work in question put him one on one with the masterfully evil Kylo Ren.

Also one of the reason he defected the First Order in the first place. Snoke and his killer set of force sens. Snoke and his set of killers intent on eradicating everyone force sensitive ever put Armie on the short list to be eliminated. It was only thanks to Lady Hux, his step mother that he was told soon enough about his soon to be approaching death.

There was no help from his father as he was in on it – it was to be a public spectacle, an example that the First Order was bowing to Snoke and its daughters and sons were to be publicly murdered for having a skill in the force.

That and Snoke entrusted the job to a hypocrite, a force sensitive killer, murdering his soul compatriots. Kylo Ren was a name that still haunted his dreams.

And now he was sitting across from the man himself.

On the table in front of him was a picture frame from the desk of General Organa herself – it depicted a smiling family of three, two famous Rebellion generals and a dark haired boy of about ten years old.

Ben Solo.

The man who sat before him betrayed his family, slaughtering young jedi at Skywalkers school and taking up with Supreme Leader Snoke, just continuing killing every force sensitive in the galaxy. Becoming Kylo Ren.

“How did they get you?”

The man across from him was staring at a point on the wall behind Armie’s head, ignoring everything surrounding him.

“What can you tell me about- right this wont work.”Armie sighed, leaning back in the chair, wanting to swing on it backwards, but stopping himself. “You were a cute kid.”he said, gesturing with the framed picture.

Now that got a reaction – anger and something else, hard to define. Kylo Ren wanted to snarl at him that was obvious. For bringing up his past, something that was mandated to never to speak aloud at the First Order. Armie wondered if Kylo Ren knew exactly who was sitting across from him. Someone else who the First Order and the dark side had mangled and spit out wrong.

“Now though, you should really-”Armie didn’t finish the sentence before Ren interrupted, wanting to shut him up.

“You have no idea what you have done.”

That sentence was more than what two previous interrogators had gotten out of him according to General Organa. So he definitely won that bet against Dameron.

He let the smirk show up on his face. “Thank you.”

That visibly confused Ren, he frowned and finally focused his gaze on Armie. “For what?”

“Oh, just for speaking. I won the bet and now someone will be doing favours for me for at least a week I think. Or maybe longer – what do you suggest? Maybe they could bring both up us a cup of caff? Or do you prefer tea?”

Ren was baffled and visibly concerned as to what he had gotten himself into. He probably was anticipating typical Resistance (or a glorified skewed version made up in his head of them). Instead he got Armie who wasn’t playing by the anticipated playbook, just making it up as he went along.

What Ren didn’t know that Armie knew exactly what he was doing, and succeeding at it. Dameron should have known better than betting against him. It was his loss and Armie’s gain. 

“Maybe something stronger?” Armie asked again. “Then again it will take some time before the kitchen will find a straw for you.” He concluded, looking over the way Ren was restrained across the table. A force-nulling collar (Armie felt icky just being in the same room as it, but managed to suppress his shivers of the idea of losing his connection to the force). Ren’s each hand was chained to the table shoulder’s width apart, so to avoid any lock picking. His feet were chained to the chair. Which, sure, he could try to break, but it was durasteel and survived several attacks on the base, so it should survive Kylo Ren as well. 

The Force was the only way to break out, and that wasn’t available to Ren at the moment. Armie was picking up some undercurrent of nervousness, both of the interrogation and still not getting a one on one with his mom. Armie could tell that the latter was far more scary to contemplate for Ren then any idea of interrogation, even if it went into the territory of torture. Which he was anticipating, and failing to understand why it wasn’t the first thing the Resistance tried.

Kylo Ren just growled at the drink offer.

“Well if you say so. I, personally, could use a drink. Skipped my morning caff, since you’re here and we just can’t leave guests all alone.” Armie smiled at Ren, unnerving him even more.

“Who the fuck are you. Where is my m- general Organa?”

“Oh, your mom is just out there, working. You know. She has a lot to do.”

The growl from Kylo Ren this time sounded wounded, and his face did a thing. Armie remembered that even back then, when he was still with the First Order, a bit more than ten years ago, Kylo Ren wasn’t seen without a helmet on. That must ruin his ability to keep a straight face. And it showed.

“But you get to hang out with me! I’m Armie by the way, nice to meet you.” Armie extended his hand half across the table, before pulling it back as Ren didn’t have a free hand to shake.

“You are a dead man Armie.” Ren said.

Armie snorted and shook his head a bit, “Been there, done that. Didn’t stick.” Let Ren get even more confused then he already was.

Armie touched the framed picture laying on the table, pushing it a smidgen closer to Ren. “Your mom was worried about you. Still is.” The family of eighteen years ago seemed happy, smiling in the picture. 

Indignation and frustration emanated from Ren, him starting to growl deep in his neck again. 

“You know nothing Armie. All General Organa knows to do is disappoint.” Ren kept up an eye contact with Armie for a moment before slumping back in the chair. “She is a liar and a manipulator.” 

“A manipulator maybe, she’s extremely good at her job. Lying is also a part of the job description. But as family – she’s what you need.” 

Armie was speaking from experience. His first year with the New Republic was uncomfortable, and the trust General Organa had in him was the only reason he wasn’t exiled somewhere far away and pulled in only when they needed intelligence. His force sensitivity was a threat, and military upbringing and knowledge even more so. 

Ren looked hurt, reading the wistfulness and fondness in Armie’s face. “Who the fuck are you? Why would she- No. I’m done taking.” Ren pulled back, shifting his gaze again to the wall behind Armie’s head.

“If you say so.” Armie shrugged and got up. So far his strategy was working. Now to let Ren stew a bit and he will return for more.

Leia was waiting for him in the hallway, exiting the near surveillance room. “That sure was something Armie.”

“Sorry for calling you a manipulator. And a liar.” Armie looked towards the ground for a moment, contrite.

“It’s the truth, there’s no need to shy from it.” Leia sighed, coming closer and gripping Armie’s elbow. “He’s here. I can’t believe it. He’s actually here – finally.” 

Armie lead them both towards the command center. “How did you capture him?” There were no visible wounds on him, so he was not curious. 

“An unexpected duo – a defected stormtrooper, Finn and a force sensitive scavenger, Rey. There was an attack on Jakku, Ben killed Lor San Tekka. Finn had a change of heart, and instead of killing Rey he ran away with her. Ben followed them, I guess telling the rest of the stormtroopers to return to the ship.”

They sat down at the briefing table. “To capture Finn to return him for an execution for deserting.” Here Armie shivered himself – it was the same fate awaiting him, if he was ever captured by the First Order. “I’m sorry Armie.” Leia extended her hand and put it on his cheek.

He breathed deep, before gathering himself for the rest of the tale, nodding to her to continue.

“But in a scuffle between the three of them Rey realized that she could fight back against him with her mind. Lor San Tekka had sent a distress signal before the First Order got there, and a few fighters, including Poe, weren’t that far from Jakku at the moment.”

“They arrived just as Rey and Finn had knocked him unconscious. And all of them notified me about it and got him here before Ben woke up. I had just enough time to find something that would disable his force sensitivity. I’m sorry. Again. That you have to be so close to it to talk to him.”

“Its OK. Were are they – the stormtrooper and the girl?” Armie wanted to talk to them both. There weren’t many force sensitives around, except for himself and Leia. And First Order defectors – even less. He wanted to hear Finn’s story. 

“Lunch, I think.” 

Armie smiled at that and got up to find them. So typical. Food was always a comforting thing to do when things got tough. 

“When will you talk to him?” He asked before leaving the room. Leia didn’t answer. 

He wasn’t expecting her to either.

 

The mess hall was half full, with pilots and techs sitting in clusters together. What was strange to see, but understandable in this case, was seeing Poe not with his pilots but at a table to the side, with another man and the girl.

Armie considered getting himself lunch as well, but after a lazy full breakfast this morning, even with the over haul of his day, maybe especially because of it, he wasn’t hungry. 

Caff was a solution every time, so he got himself some and went over to their table. “You owe me Poe.”

“No way- he talked?” Poe’s face held a very surprised look on it, disbelieving even.

“It’s as if you don’t know me.” Armie snorted and say down in the free space next to the girl, across from him the ex-stormtrooper with a puzzled look on his face. So Armie decided to clear that up.

“Hello. I hear the both of you are to thank for this recovery.” He looked from one to the other.

“He wasn’t that tough.”

Armie huffed a laugh, remembering every time he woke up with nightmares of Kylo Ren.

“You got lucky.” 

He figured some of the emotion showed on his face, or Poe heard it in his voice, especially since he was aware of the nightmares, for his face lost its mirth and was now frowning at Armie. 

“Shit, man – I didn’t even think.” Poe reached a hand across the table, leaning, grabbing Armie’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Are you doing ok?”

Armie shrugged, “It’ll be fine.” 

The other two sitting at the table now were staring. It was explanation time. “My name is Armitage Hux and up until about ten years ago I was with the First Order when- when Kylo Ren was ordered to kill me. I- I left and never looked back.” He said it looking at the stormtrooper, Finn. 

What he didn’t expect was a sudden hug from his side, where Rey was sitting. He blinked, a bit startled and looked at the girl clinging to his side. 

The stormtrooper was frowning even more at him now. “You- you left?” Now there was uncertainty in his gaze, but a start of hope as well. As if Hux Armie left and was still free and alive, even taken up with the Resistance, that there was the same hope for him.

Armie was glad to put that hope into someone’s eyes. Rey squeezed him tighter before letting him go. But not sliding back to her seat, staying near his side. 

“Thank you.” Armie said to her. “It was a very nice hug.” 

“You’re welcome.” She smiled at him, then looked across the table to Finn and Poe, smiling at them as well. “I’m glad to be here, even if under such circumstances.” 

“Yes, well.” Poe shrugged, probably glad that everyone was alive and well. Trying to ignore the bantha in the interrogation room, biding its time and plotting escape. “What do I owe you?” Poe grimaced at that, knowing that he bet on the wrong thing when going against Armie. 

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll come up with something.” Armie smiled his shark smile, as Poe dubbed it a while back, hoping at the same time that it wouldn’t scare the two newcomers away from him, but Finn just laughed aloud, but Rey sent a calculating glance towards Poe – as if coming already with a favor Poe would need to do for Armie in his stead. 

The rest of the conversation turned to exactly what had happened on Jakku, with Finn’s choice to no longer take up arms for the First Order, with Rey’s flight in the night – away from the murderous Kylo Ren who was gaining on them. The desperate fight, that miraculously resulted with no injuries to them both. And Poe’s back up provided to them, capturing Kylo Ren.

Armie saw Finn look at him intermittently through the discussion, as if verifying to himself that it was indeed true, that he had left the First Order.

Especially considering that it was his father’s program that made the stormtroopers in the first place. Armie tried to desperately quash the wish to ask about the status and standing of the First Order since he had been gone. He didn’t want to be so nostalgic about it.

 

Having said good night to the three of them, Armie returned to the interrogation block, where Kylo Ren was still stuck. There were no plans to let him relax and think about escaping. A cell was being prepared for him – one with Force dampening (which made Armie shiver just thinking about it), so that he couldn’t escape so easily. 

But there were always tricks and feints to it. Armie knew that Leia would do anything to keep Ben here, so all the strictest measures were being put in place. 

When Armie got to the interrogation room, Leia was there, next to the observation window. He went over and stood next to her, not talking. 

The man inside was slumped in the chair as far as the restraints allowed – hands in fists, looking at a point on wall, seemingly meditating, but in no way relaxed. 

Armie wondered if he was hungry. He had a cup of caff in his hands, half full, left over from the last thirty minutes of discussion in the mess hall with the others. 

Still silent, he went over to the door and went inside.

“Hey, buddy.” The smirk was back in his face. “How’s it hanging?”

Kylo Ren wasn’t impressed. He twitched when Armie slammed slightly louder than necessary the cup of caff on the table. 

“Don’t want to talk to me?” Armie sat himself on the corner of the table, just out of Ren’s reaching distance. Just daring him to do something. Armie was daring himself as well – sitting this close to danger, to his nightmare. But it was about time to face him, and crushing this obstacle in his life.

“So. Would you like some caff?” Armie, picked the cup back up, turning it slowly in his hand. Ren once again skipped language, deciding on growling as his go to response. Armie considered that Kylo Ren had gone all feral even before he ended up here in interrogation. His reckless pursuit of Finn and Rey indicated all the same. It seemed that Snoke had majorly fucked up not only Ben Solo, but Kylo Ren as well. 

With no answer forthcoming, Armie, took a drink from the cup, before extending it towards Ren. Making him look confused again. And wary, which was a look that Armie wasn’t ready to see on his face.

“Well?” Armie shifted the cup closer to Ren’s lips. It was a bit of a trust exercise as he could just as easily bite his hand instead.

Ren kept moving his gaze from Armie’s eyes to his hand, frowning. As if everything Armie was doing was wrong and baffling his expectation of torture. Armie was glad for it – confusing Kylo Ren was something he could do, and be good at. 

After lengthy deliberation Kylo Ren finally moved himself forward – towards the cup of caff, still looking at Armie with suspicion in his eyes. But he still moved. Accepted what Armie offered to him. He couldn’t tell what was it that made him do that, was it just a ploy, or was Armie making a dent in the nightmare.

Kylo Ren’s lips touched the cup, making Armie softly inhale. Making him notice just how plush those lips were, and how close to his hand they were. 

It was a moment.

Soon enough Kylo Ren was retreating, both having gained something and lost something. Armie wasn’t missing what Kylo Ren had gained, he gave it willingly. It was something just for the both of them. A small smile for Kylo Ren showed up in Armie’s face gracing him with it. 

Not to say that Kylo Ren was forgiven. No. It would take a lot more grovelling and favors from the man before any sort of forgiveness was achieved. Penance and regret were required. 

Armie put the now empty caff on the table, shifting a bit backwards, wordlessly asking what Kylo Ren was thinking of now.

“My mo- mother. She’s out there, isn’t she?” But he kept his gaze locked on Armie, not looking towards the one way mirror. He received a nod in return. Taking a deep breath, Kylo Ren looked Armie in the eye and said, “Then let this be a lesson then, one she should remember.”

A sudden headache, like an ice pick drilling in Armie’s mind. The cold wind of an arctic climate on exposed skin. 

Somehow the force-nulling collar wasn’t enough. Kylo Ren was attacking his mind.

The only thing he hadn’t taken into consideration was the fact that Armie was Force sensitive as well. And experienced with mind’s particularities, attacks and defense. Beyond good at meditation and extracting information from anyone who was put in front of him in any interrogation setting. 

The sudden smirk in Armie’s face threw Ren for a bit, but didn’t make him stop the attack. Just making him get deeper and deeper into the trap Armie had put there just for such situations. His mental landscape was simple, but when someone had waded deep enough it turned into quicksand, pulling in and in and in. 

And Kylo Ren kept pushing inwards not even noticing the lack of resistance what was present even in non force sensitive minds, the absence of the natural defenses. 

It was too late that he noticed anything, halfway stuck with no where to go. Stuck in quicksand, being pulled under with Armie standing over him, looking down, like Kylo Ren was a defenseless animal in a trap.

“What did you think would happen?” Armie circled him, both in reality and in the mental landscape. In both Kylo Ren was trapped and unable to more or get away. In both he looked beyond angry. But more than that – surprised and startled as if he would never have pictured another Force user as his opponent. 

“You- you. WHAT DID YOU DO?” Kylo Ren bellowed, trying to dig himself out of the sand, making him slip just a fraction deeper. 

“Well, you wanted to root in my head, kill me, I guess.” Armie shrugged, coming to stand in front of Ren, leaning on the table, sitting down in the sand. “Well. I might have forgotten a trap. Or two in here.” A sort of ‘oops my bad’ smile on Armie’s face. 

It enraged Kylo Ren even more. “I will kill you.”

Armie sighed, “As I said before. Been there, done that. Didn’t stick.” He lifted a hand, poking into Ren’s forehead, making him twitch back, now with a thinking face, as if trying to recall something.

“I- What are you talking about? Wait.” Kylo Ren looked to the side, blinking rapidly, then turning back to look at Armie. “Hux.”

Hearing his last name, his father’s name from that mouth was strange. 

“You- You are Hux, the younger one.” Ren exclaimed, finally connecting the dots.

“That I am. And you are my nightmare.” Confessing this made Armie feel lighter than anything in the past years. Confronting his greatest fear and seeing that it was only human. It was an amazing feeling.

“I should have killed you sooner. If I did I wouldn’t have too look at you right now.”

Armie smiled, “Well, as I said. Didn’t stick. So you will have to put up with me.” Taking a deep breath, Armie pushed Kylo Ren deeper into the quicksand, smothering him and then pushing him completely out of his mind. Back in interrogation room, Armie stood back up from leaning against the desk. Kylo Ren was panting, unable to get enough breath.

“Good night.” Armie said to him, before leaving.

“Hux.” A silent plea from Kylo Ren. Or was it Ben Solo, given a moment of free speech?

Armie, slammed the door behind him, taking two steps to the wall across from them, and sinking to his knees. Leia wasn’t far, embracing him. 

“That was stupid of me, confronting him like that? What the fuck was I thinking?” Armie wanted to crumple on the floor and rethink his life choices, but Leia was hugging him, not letting him fall down. “I wasn’t thinking that’s for sure. Fuck. He will use it against me you know.” He mumbled, trying to wipe away nonexistent tears. He shuddered, wanting to hide.

“What you did was brave.” Leia said, directly into his ear, still surrounding him. “So much braver than me, looking him in the eye. That takes strength.” A tightening of her arms around him made Armie wish for a good cry about now. 

“Let’s go. Its been a long day for you. Its time for sleep.” 

Armie could only nod and agree with her. His idle day had been shattered and now instead of being on his couch provoking people on the holonet, he was having a minor breakdown in a hallway next to interrogation. Having confronted and battled, if only mentally, his nightmare. And looking at the sheer size of his nightmare mentally was the only way to win in a battle against him.

So he would take the win and coast on it until the next time. For there would definitely would be a next time.

**Author's Note:**

> my kylux blog @ huxxkylo


End file.
